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Kate Ryan wrote and sang the official anthem for the 2007 Eurogames, an LGBT sporting event staged in her home country, Belgium. In the next few years, she went on to become a major Europop star, with a Eurovision appearance and sharp cover versions of songs by artists such as Mylène Farmer and France Gall, while continuing to be a public supporter of LGBT rights.

Her popularity in the gay community wobbled a little after she agreed to appear in the Winter Olympics at the Russian resort of Scochi, at a time when that country’s new repression of the LGBT community was much in the news, but she has continued to appear at Gay Pride events, including the Drag Queen Gala at Maspalomas, Gran Canaria in 2014

Irish singer-songwriter Hozier’s Grammy-nominated Take Me to Church had huge success on both sides of the Atlantic at the end of 2014, and carried with it a strong message against homophobia, both through its attack on Roman Catholic and its hard-hitting video referencing the repression and violence faced by the LGBT community in Russia.

Early in 2015, David LaChapelle’s video of a dance piece by Sergei Polunin using the song also became a viral hit.

It doesn’t pull any punches, and that’s the way Holly Elle wants it. Freak was written in response to the shocking number of teen suicides resulting from cyber-bullying, homophobia and a general lack of acceptance of young people who don’t fit the norm.

Originally from Canada, but now based in Nashville, it’s not surprising Holly is getting coverage from gay media, but she’s also receiving increasing attention and airplay across the board.

California-based Nick Carter, better-known as rapper Murs released this bleak and ultimately shocking portrayal of internalised homophobia in July 2012.

“Animal Style is a song I did for many reasons…..The first was to be an advocate for people close to me who are out, and those who have yet to come out. It’s also a love song, which is nothing new for me. But with this one I wanted to challenge the listener to ask themselves: Is the love shared by two people of the same gender, really that different than the love I have for my partner of the opposite sex? And finally, I just felt it was crucial for some of us in the hip hop community to speak up on the issues of teen suicide, bullying, and the overall anti-homosexual sentiment that exist within hip hop culture. I felt so strongly about these issues and this song that I had to do a video that would command some attention, even if it makes some viewers uncomfortable. Even if it came at the cost of my own comfort.”